Lawyer: Erick Bradshaw intends to ‘cooperate fully’ in federal case

KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL Erick Bradshaw Sr., former executive director and of Fresh Start Community Development Corp., arrives at the Federal Courthouse in Greenville. Bradshaw is charged in a three-count indictment.

KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL Erick Bradshaw Sr., former executive director and of Fresh Start Community Development Corp., arrives at the Federal Courthouse in Greenville. Bradshaw is charged in a three-count indictment.

GREENVILLE — An attorney for Erick Bradshaw Sr. said Wednesday that his client intends "to cooperate fully" as Bradshaw faces federal charges about his activities while he led Fresh Start Community Development Corp. in Anderson.

The now-defunct Fresh Start got money from the state to repair houses for low-income residents in Anderson County. Bradshaw, the executive director, and Augustina Cabral-Rice, the organization's housing services coordinator, are accused of lying about the work that was done and keeping some of the money for themselves.

They both had a scheduled pretrial conference in front of federal Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks in Greenville on Wednesday, though neither addressed the judge. Ryan Beasley, Bradshaw's attorney, told Hendricks that he had a lot of documents still to look at related to the case. Willie Peters III, a lawyer acting on behalf of Cabral-Rice, stood next to Beasley.

Hendricks agreed to allow attorneys more time on the case, meaning that it may not come before her again until September.

Outside the courtroom, Bradshaw did not take questions except to confirm that he now lives in Kentucky.

Beasley said, "Mr. Bradshaw plans to cooperate fully to bring this case to a resolution as quickly as possible."

Bradshaw, 40, and Cabral-Rice, 61, were indicted by a federal grand jury in May. They were indicted on the same charges: conspiracy and two counts of money laundering. According to the indictments, they are accused of "engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property worth more than $10,000."

Cabral-Rice still lives in Anderson, according to court records.

In the indictments, Bradshaw and Cabral-Rice are both accused of forging the signatures of contractors on bank-funding certifications and state-housing certifications of payment. According to the indictments, both also submitted information that had "inflated costs compared to the invoices of contractors who actually performed the work."

If convicted, Bradshaw and Cabral-Rice could each face at least 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They could also have to forfeit more than $282,000, according to the indictments.

Bradshaw may be best known for his involvement in lawsuits against Anderson County.

He and others unsuccessfully challenged the Anderson County Council investigation into former County Administrator Joey Preston's administration.

Bradshaw and Cabral-Rice started working together at Fresh Start Community Development Corp. sometime in late 2010 or early 2011, according to Independent Mail archives. The organization received funding from the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority.

The activities described in the indictments cover a period from January 2011 to December 2012.